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As I was doing some show prep for the American Dad Podcast I came across an article that discussed how a mom made her two children make their lunches each morning before school. The woman’s child asked all of her friends if they had to make their lunch but none of the children replied, “yes”. See this woman is making her children put together their lunch each morning for one reason; to prepare her kids for life.
The mother goes on a very good rant about how parents judge their wealth based on how they cater to their child’s lunch. She pleads for parents to stop the madness with the crust cutting or posting, tweeting and pinning perfect lunches. However, she isn’t saying not to help your kids make their own lunches or not to provide suggestions.
She writes, “Your job is to produce a functioning, fairly independent adult with as many basic life skills as that adult is capable of by about age 20.”
This woman is an RA or Resident Assistant at a university. She sees the majority of adults coming to college without the basic skills of doing laundry, cleaning their own rooms or even cooking a basic meal. She says that these legal adults are smart enough to get into college but struggle with basic life skills.
She believes these young adults entering college were raised by helicopter parents or overprotective parents. You know, the parents that won’t let their children do anything for themselves.
Overprotective Parents-Let’s not get Crazy
I disagree with her notion that all of these young adults entering college were all raised by overprotective parents. I just think parents have forgotten what their role is. Parents get called overprotective for many more reasons than doing their child’s laundry or making their lunch.
Reflect on the Past
I can only imagine what it was like to live in the olden days when thing were primitive. When you had to either hunt or grow your food. Every day was about eating and surviving in life.
Parents back then had to teach their children how to hunt, farm, build and survive. If they didn’t then they would surely die on their own or like many kids today, depend on their parents for far too long.
Since we don’t live in a world where we have to hunt for our food every day, we have to teach our children the skills that will allow them to survive and be successful with the way the world is today.
I’m An Example
While I wouldn’t identify my parents as being overprotective, I never learned how to cook for myself. I won’t die as a result of this but I certainly am helpless in a kitchen. The thought of cooking is very intimating and I don’t know where to even start. So nearly 20 years after graduating high school the burden of cooking rests on my wife for healthy meals which isn’t fair for her.
I am a master of the microwave but let’s get real, most stuff that is nuked is not good for you anyways.
Had I learned the skill of cooking I might not be so quick to eat fast food or make unhealthy meals for myself. Only now am I considering teaching myself how to cook.
It Makes you Feel Good
Listen, I know that making your child’s lunch makes you feel good and is a way of showing your child how much you love them; I get that. Even my wife doesn’t agree with this other woman’s point of view or mine for that matter.
Won’t it make you feel good to know that your child is learning something, albeit a small something that will help them to be a function adult and member of society? A child making their own lunch is just a small step which will lead into other good habits.
My Amazing Conclusion
My daughter makes her own lunch. Not because her mother and I make her but because she wants to do it. I think it is about being independent. My son on the other hand is helpless and wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to making his own lunch. I think that this year I will start to teach him how to be a little more independent unlike I was at his age. I think it will go a long way in the future.
Should kids make their own lunch for school (under your supervision)? Comment below as to why or why you wouldn’t. Also click here for the article I reference to
